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WILLIAM POWELL WAR-E, OF NEW YORK, ASSIGNOl-t TO lIlhziSltLF AND JAMES J DE BARR-Y, OF BROOKLYN, N EW YORK.

Letters Patent No. 75,086, dated fl' fm'ch 3, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN SIGNS FOR STREET-LAMPS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY eonomm;

Be it known that I, WIULIAM POWELL WARE, of the city of New York, State and county of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Transparent Signs for Use in Street-Lampsor other purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof. I

' It has been common to pa intthe letters giving the names of streets or other desired information on strips of glass, and to place such in the interior of street-lamps. The fragilceharacter of the glass and the liability of the painted letters to rub oil with repeated cleanings form objections to this species of transparent signs. I substitute fol-these strips of glass a corresponding strip of perforated metal, and, for the letters painted on the strips of glass, metallic or other opaque letters, cut by dies, or otherwise, in accurate forms, at very moderate cost. My opaque letters are fixed on the perforated metal very easily by soldering, cementing, riveting,- or otherwise.

I will proceed to describe what I consider to be thebest means of carrying out my invention, by the aid of the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a. front view of the sign complete, and

Figure 2 is a cross-section on the line S S in fig. 1.

Only the middle part of the sign, fig. 1, is represented as made in the manner which I esteem the best. Each end is represented as made in a manner which I esteem very much inferior, although these inferior kinds of signs involve some of the features which I combine in my invention.

Figure 3 is a cross-section of the inferior style shown at the left of fig. 1. It is a section on the line T T.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in both figures.

A is a. sheet of rolled iron, about 'No. 25. It is coated with tin, and is perforated, as-indicated by a a; The holes may be produced by machinery in any approved manner. B 13, 50., are letters, and C solder, by which the parts A and B are secured firmly together in the desired position. I believe that, with practice, a workman of reasonable skill and taste will be ableto select and place the letters in position, and to afix them, with the suitable means, with very great rapidity, and with absoluteflpcrmanency.

The letters maybe upper or lower case, or they may be all capitals; and other modifications may be used, as required. In order to produce them with economy, it is necessary simply to provide suitable steel dies, having each die the proper size and character. The expense involved in its preparationtcnds to limit the varieties of the letters, for which reason it may be preferable to employ capitals alone in ordinary cases. 7

I prefer, in many cases, to apply a corresponding letter in the position to exactly corrcspond-with'and cover the same surface at the back side of each plate. This letter is indicated in red outline in fig. 2, and is marked D. Theprincipal advantage of the employment of these backing-letters lies in the usefulness of the signs in street-lamps during the day. The addition of the backing-letters l) allows the sign-to be read on the back side with great facility, so soon as the reader becomes a little accustomed to the reversed position of the letters.

' I can secure the letters by small rivets, in the ordinary manner, or by any suitable cement, screws, &c.; or the letters may be fixed by the process, imperfectly known in many arts, of punching the material of the one into the material of the other. This may be done by machinery with great facility. All the approved modes of joining materials maybe employed in joining the parts of my improved signs. I can, by the same dies, or others, out holes of the shape corresponding to the letters in the perforated metal, and sink a single thickness of the letters, as B, into the holes thus prepared, and secure them, by soldering along the whole or a portion of the edges. This will produce the same eifect as the backed sign A 13 D, and with less metal, but it will, under ordinary circumstances, requircfmore labor.

I propose, in some cases, to substitute for the letters 13 a-plate of opaque material, having the letters cut therein like a stencil-plate, so as to lot the light through the letter, and pass on on the other parts of the sur- 0 face. Many such modifications may bcmade without departingfibm. the principle of lily-invention.

My signs will be very durable. I propose to paint them byhand or by machinery. They can then be cleansed and washed to any extent required without danger of rust.

I can use brass or other material instead of tinned iron, and can stiii'en them by bending over the edge, as practised by t'nsmiths, or in any other approved manner.

The entire edges of my signs may, if desired, he made to receive a stiifening addition of wire or other material, which will increase their permanency and rigidity; but I prefer, for economy, to use the plain sheets, as represented in the drawing, fig. 2, and the centre of fig. 1.

The left side of fig. 1 shows, as before suggested, a complete plain sheet of perforated metal behind a stencil-plate, and united by the bending over the edges of the latter The right side of fig. 1 shows such stencilplate alone. 7

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

I claim the transparent signs herein described, composed of perforated metal, A, and opaque material, 13, combined and arranged so as to serve in the manner and for the purposes and advantages herein specified.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' W. POWELL WARE.

Witnesses:

W. O. DEY, G. O. Lrvmes. 

